2013 MLS TV deal

[Yohan]

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/49903/big-changes-in-mls-schedule.html

Slowly creeping into mainstream TV market.

Also, the rivalry week. Gimmicky? or good marketing ploy?

[ag futbol]

^@ first post ... It is a little bit gimmicky, but doesn't really take anything away from the games.

The league has a long way to go in terms of raising public awareness of players and different teams. Right now, I think what enters the national consiousness is LA Galaxy / David Bechham ... and that's about it. They need to start telling some of the better stories they have to get people interested. Right now, when you view the league through the glass of main stream coverage, everything feels very sanitized and forced. You really do have to follow MLS through the eye of blogs, messageboards, and other nontraditional sources to find it compelling. They need to break out of that safety net in the MSM. I think that's one thing the NFL - despite being very robotic and corporate - does very well. They have neutral commentators call every game and they saw just about whatever the hell they want. Officiating is bad? Coach not doing his job? Player struggling on the field? Expect them to talk about it.

MLS would do well to be a little more candid.

Controversey sells and fans like to talk about their game at a real level.

[Yohan]

^Controversy does sell, but considering a lot of Americans don't see soccer as something to be taken seriously, too much criticism by MSM might overall be negative for the growth of the sport in NA.

[ag futbol]

^ Oh for sure. At the same time some controversy isn't always about the quality of the game. Things like what happened to Dero and Cann off the field, those sort of story lines that everybody knows but get pushed under the rug.

Things need to have depth to them, which I think is sometimes lacking right now.

[Initial B]

I don't think in a couple of years that they're going to find any bigger rivalry than Toronto-Montreal. Even the Cascadia rivalry has to split it's animousity between three teams.